A game crippled by its archaic save system. No matter how much fun the game is while you're battling hundreds of on-screen enemies, nothing can balance out the sheer frustration experienced when you die for the fifth time at the hands of the end of level boss.

It's visually appealing, easy to pick up, and the combat has a nice competitive edge to it. But this feeling doesn't last as long as perhaps it ought to. Once you've plundered your way through all the game has to offer, the lack of variety is clear to see and the story isn't good enough to hold things together.

Even with its problems, Dead Rising is a ton of fun to play, offers a respectable narrative, and come on, you can use a lawnmower for cryin' out load. Enough said.

The main quest is totally underwhelming and can be completed in a fraction of the time it took to complete last year's full game. When combined with some severely dated visuals and an almost thrown together storyline, there's little reason to pick this up.

So, let's sum up: lag so frustrating you want to gouge your eyes out with a spoon, tiresome deliberate disconnections that make a mockery of the ranking system, and a d-pad designed to make you jump around the screen like some deranged monkey on speed. Not particularly positive.

The single-player Career won't take all that long to complete, but with a hugely entertaining multiplayer mode both on and offline, there's a good chance you'll continue playing for a while after.

The single-player Career won't take all that long to complete, but with a hugely entertaining multiplayer mode both on and offline, there's a good chance you'll continue playing for a while after.

The fundamental gameplay created by the 'monkey in a ball' mechanic simply doesn't work within the confines of an adventure title.

It's just about good enough to entertain kids who must see more of the characters from the movie, but everyone else should stay well clear.

The quick and relatively uncomplicated fighting fix that Tekken provides is ideal for a handheld format, and if that's what you're looking for this may be the best example yet.

A passable enough way to while away the rainy summer evenings. But remember, there is much more to discover outside these lacklustre city walls.

Its control system isn't perfect, but it's workable and makes for a fun game. Everything is over far too quickly though, and the mini-games and the game's relation to the movie have to be questioned.

A game high on fun, packed with action, but not without a number of infuriating problems.

An ambitious failure that sounds great on paper but proves to be a tediously slow, uninvolving experience for anyone less than a hardcore giant robot fan.

A sequel is definitely coming (it even says so in the game), and the foundation has been set for a strong series, but as a true contender to the FPS crown Prey falls a fair way short.

While it may not be the refined, leisurely paced kill-'em-up many eager landlubbers might have signed up for, The Ship does quickly prove itself a subtly addictive, relentless nail biter that will only get better as those already aboard learn to rule the bloody waves. Notch this one up as another killer for Steam.

Yes, the RTS genre has been seen on consoles in the past, but never to this level, and with this much polish.

Juiced Eliminator attempts to simulate what it's like to be a street racer, but it simply lacks the flair and excitement that other games in the genre offer.

The ship battling multiplayer game is a lot more fun than I had imagined it would be, but this alone isn't worth shelling out for.

As a harmless game for kids to play together, Micro Machines V4 serves its purpose, but a bit of flair and a larger scope could have made it the ultimate party racing game.

As a harmless game for kids to play together, Micro Machines V4 serves its purpose, but a bit of flair and a larger scope could have made it the ultimate party racing game.

If you've already got your traditional football fix, though, World Tour Soccer 2 offers something that neither of the big boys does. It's an arcade game, so don't expect to be putting together beautiful free-flowing moves that Brazil would be proud of, but the challenges make for a game that feels very different to normal football, and a title that will fill the gaps between World Cup matches very well indeed.

Some niggles with the inventory system are a little grating, but it's easy to forgive a few slight oversights when the game as a whole is so well put together.

The whole package is similar to ready salted crisps: Sure, they'll fill you up and won't leave a disgusting taste in your mouth, but for the same price you can get some salt and vinegar flavour, or perhaps cheese and onion.

Tomb Raider: Legend might not be an epic or set new standards like the original game did ten years ago, but it's thoroughly entertaining for its duration and is an impressive package on the PSP.

The level designs vary from excellent to poor, enemy variety is non-existent (ok, the gang members where masks, but still), the aforementioned rescue missions become tedious, and the end arrives a couple of levels too soon.

Ultimately the Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel is nothing more than fan service, and those for whom the paper-based version was an essential purchase will certainly get a kick out of it.

One day someone is going to combine the RTS with another genre and pull it off really well; Rise & Fall isn't that game.

For a next-gen price tag you expect to get a next-gen product, and sadly MotoGP '06 hasn't quite made a successful leap to the next-generation.

Though RPG fans will happily devour another game from their favourite genre, especially on a platform starved of top class role playing titles, all outside the hardcore will tire of its charm long before the closing credits begin to role.

Discerning GTA fans will notice that Rockstar's latest isn't quite up to the hugely high standard that the first three PlayStation 2 games have set, but Liberty City Stories is still a GTA game, and ticks most of the boxes.

Could The Movies live without Stunts & Effects? Probably, but it's more entertaining thanks to the additions found in the expansion.

The racing is by no means terrible, and will serve its purpose for those interested in a Cars video game, but had that aspect been nailed, the whole experience would have been elevated a notch or two.

The racing is by no means terrible, and will serve its purpose for those interested in a Cars video game, but had that aspect been nailed, the whole experience would have been elevated a notch or two.

The difficulty curve isn't so much a curve as it is a sudden vertical wall, and other game modes seem to rely on trial and error more than outright brain power.

It is short, at around 4-6 hours depending on ability and difficulty level, but they are 4-6 hours of intense, taught and finely tuned gameplay the like of which you're unlikely to find in many other games. Once you're ensnared by the charms of Episode One you'll be chafing at the bit for Episode Two to arrive.

Depth way beyond that of any other action game released this year, sleek presentation and some of the best levels ever created in a video game.

Depth way beyond that of any other action game released this year, sleek presentation and some of the best levels ever created in a video game.

Depth way beyond that of any other action game released this year, sleek presentation and some of the best levels ever created in a video game.

It's amazing when you sit down with a game that you had the lowest of expectations for, only to find an incredibly well put together experience.

It's amazing when you sit down with a game that you had the lowest of expectations for, only to find an incredibly well put together experience.

Graphically light years ahead of everything else in the turn-based genre and is easily on a par with the best looking real-time strategy games, such as "Dawn of War."

Controls obviously take some time to learn and the maps are a little small, but the game still works exceedingly well, especially in multiplayer.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty Pro Evolution Soccer in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress.

The only bad thing to say about the game is that it's so entertaining that you want to be able to do more. As a multiplayer game it's an incredible amount of fun, but lone players who can't access Xbox Live will feel a little short changed.

So then, another Hollywood movie, and another so-so game based on it. The Da Vinci Code has the right heritage but unfortunately suffers from the same disease as many of its ilk - it has been rushed to meet a release date without receiving the kind of polish that could have made a great game out of the subject matter.

The idea of giving the player three fairly unique characters to play as is good one, but the game design verges on plain stupid at times.

The idea of giving the player three fairly unique characters to play as is good one, but the game design verges on plain stupid at times.

The idea of giving the player three fairly unique characters to play as is good one, but the game design verges on plain stupid at times.

So then, another Hollywood movie, and another so-so game based on it. The Da Vinci Code has the right heritage but unfortunately suffers from the same disease as many of its ilk - it has been rushed to meet a release date without receiving the kind of polish that could have made a great game out of the subject matter.

New Super Mario Bros. treads the retro platformer line beautifully, adding just enough originality and imagination to the mix.

SiN Episodes: Emergence has a number of shortcomings, but its weak storyline is the most noticeable. The success of the series as a whole is riding on this first episode, but other than being a fun shooter, it does nothing to hook the player.

Whether you want something to relax with or you want to play competitively for the best part of a day, you can't go wrong with UNO.

If the game has any major flaws at all, it's that whilst the two halves of the game, RTS and RPG, mesh together brilliantly, if you take either of those elements in isolation, they're perhaps a little on the lightweight side. Fortunately, the game does have real synergy: it's greater than the sum of its parts.

It's fun, accessible, full of educational info and should keep young'ns happy for a good while.

While there's no denying that the Guild Wars franchise is both popular and technically superb, unless you're after dedicated PvP thrills, it's hard to see it genuinely competing with games like World of Warcraft in the long term.

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast might just be the best arcade racer available on all three systems.

The frame rate on the PSP version is a tad disappointing, but it's easy to look past, and the great draw distance and sense of speed has been reproduced admirably on the handheld.

A decent RPG, but there's really nothing new or anything it does particularly well to make it truly standout.

Suffers slightly due to its similarities to previous games in the series, but the package is as slick as ever.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty "Pro Evolution Soccer" in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty Pro Evolution Soccer in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected, making this the perfect title to celebrate the World Cup with, even if it's not the perfect footy game.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty "Pro Evolution Soccer" in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected.

So, having sacrificed gameplay in favour of story, what's left is a product that isn't really much of a game at all. If you can put up with the tedium of puzzles and stealth sections, the rich story and compelling characters will furnish you with a rewarding experience.

You can't compare this to the GTAs and the Tomb Raiders of the world, but as a fun way to spend a few minutes every day, it's worth considering.

As it is, Auto Assault is a distraction - a bit of massively multiplayer fluff - not the genuine competitor to World of Warcraft people hoped it would be.

Most players probably able to breeze through in less than eight hours, but there's never a dull moment.

Most players probably able to breeze through in less than eight hours, but there's never a dull moment.

Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC owners certainly get better value for money, but the Xbox 360 version signals a strong next-gen future for Lara.

It lacks the insane large scale combat of the superior PC game and is more akin to something like Star Wars Battlefront, but if you find the right group of people, online matches can be a lot of fun.

Condemned delivers an experience that's worlds apart from what is usually on offer for PC gamers. At its core it's about as simple as a game could be, but it's presented in such a deranged and immersive way that it's hard not to get caught up in it all.

It looks okay, it plays okay, it has some nice touches, but it lacks the spit and polish required to elevate it above the rest in an already crowded genre.

The plethora of annoying little quirks and dodgy production values mask some genuinely fun and varied gameplay.

All in all, Tourist Trophy is very close to being the game Gran Turismo loving bike fans would have wanted.

UberSoldier isn't dreadful, but it's a long way from being up there with the best first-person shooters on the PC. The story is often laughable and the gameplay feels like a tired re-run of shooters released over the past five years.

Even with a number of sloppy audio problems and an overall game that feels strikingly similar to Top Spin on the Xbox, it's still hugely addictive.

Once the tedious opening section is completed, Kingdom Hearts II rarely disappoints, with even its weakest sections providing plenty to enjoy.

While the tactical combat is still the best around, more casual gamers hoping for a military action fix may find it too frustrating, too inconsistent and too cold for their liking.

While the tactical combat is still the best around, more casual gamers hoping for a military action fix may find it too frustrating, too inconsistent and too cold for their liking.

The 'Feral' abilities make the experience unlike most other games out there and some of the online game types are immense fun.

The new online mode makes multiplayer gaming all the easier and gives players a greater chance of playing the game in the best way possible, but other than that it feels like a slightly tweaked, albeit newly clothed and well polished, version of the first game.

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires isn't terrible, it's just totally uninspiring.

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires isn't terrible, it's just totally uninspiring.

Without any truly brilliant missions to balance things out, the single-player campaign never really gets off the ground. Multiplayer games are a lot more fun, but if you have no interest in taking to the skies with other people, this isn't a squadron that you want to be part of.

Without any truly brilliant missions to balance things out, the single-player campaign never really gets off the ground. Multiplayer games are a lot more fun, but if you have no interest in taking to the skies with other people, this isn't a squadron that you want to be part of.

A foray into the beat 'em up genre isn't exactly straying too far from Joe's roots, but the game hasn't been pulled off with the same high level of polish that the other Joe titles exude.

The multiplayer support is a great example of local wireless multiplayer gaming done well, and if you've got friends with the game you'll have hours of entertainment ahead of you.

The Worms' first outing on the PSP plays well, but rather strangely doesn't pack a big enough punch.

It just doesn't have the scope to match Rockstar's efforts though, and the driving sections aren't thrilling enough to get the pulse really racing.

It just doesn't have the scope to match Rockstar's efforts though, and the driving sections aren't thrilling enough to get the pulse really racing.

Although by no means a perfect RPG, Suikoden V is an enjoyable game, but more so for connoisseurs of the series or RPG fans. Those new to the genre might wish to go for something which is more accessible and moves at a faster pace.

The shortness of the experience is very disappointing, especially as this is the last game in the series, and the lack of original music simply adds to the feeling that Me & My Katamari simply isn't the game it could have been.

Splinter Cell Essentials is an example of a game that simply isn't suited to the control limitations of the PSP. If you can get past the camera issues (which is a big ask), you're still going to have a less than brilliant experience due to the dumb AI.

Oblivion will consume you. It'll consume your life, your performance at work will suffer and you might not see friends in weeks. With hundreds of hours of gameplay, and an unprecedented amount of quests to be completed, I couldn't possibly recommend Oblivion enough.

Oblivion will consume you. It'll consume your life, your performance at work will suffer and you might not see friends in weeks. With hundreds of hours of gameplay, and an unprecedented amount of quests to be completed, I couldn't possibly recommend Oblivion enough.

Providing you can find yourself a dark and secluded enough place to play it, Dark Mirror is the first great shooter for the PSP and, despite its lack of personality and unremarkable story, arguably one the most consistently enjoyable genre entries of the past year.

The good driving mechanic and excellent presentation found in Parallel Lines are only let down by some rather mundane missions.

Buying Subsistence should be a no-brainer, even for those of you who have spent countless hours already mastering the original.